The present invention relates to user interfaces in general and in particular to a browser user interface for browsing hypertext content.
The typical system for browsing hypertext content includes a browser that makes requests, as an HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol) client, of an HTTP server over the global internetwork of networks known as “the Internet” using an underlying protocol known as TCP/IP (Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). Often, an information provider sets up the HTTP server and the information provider allows user preferences to guide the information provided. An information seeker might access the information provided by the information provider by directing the seeker's browser (or other HTTP client) to retrieve an HTML (HyperText Markup Language), or other format, page from the HTTP server where the page is specified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) representing a page served by that HTTP server. A collection of static and dynamic hypertext pages available from HTTP servers connected to the Internet is often referred to as the World Wide Web (“WWW”), or “the Web” for short.
A portal operator might set up an HTTP server or HTTP server farm (the “portal server”) to serve requests from clients seeking information provided by the portal operators. The HTTP server is often referred to as the portal operator's “website” because a browser (or other HTTP client) appears to “go” to a new location in the Web when the URL for the portal operator's HTTP server is specified. Thus, the act referred to as “going to a website” does not involve any movement per se, other than a change of focus of the HTTP client and a display of the HTML code representing that website.
When the HTTP client is directed to the HTTP server URL, the HTML code is downloaded. HTML code allows embedding text, images, scripts, controls, and software that are interpreted by the HTTP client. In the HTML code, a number of connections may be presented as links to objects such as images, sound or other files. Some HTTP clients can only download from a maximum of four connections at a time. Once the object is downloaded, the connection is terminated and any remaining objects are downloaded with the newly freed connection. In some circumstances, the connection remains open to receive a multi-part GIF image file (e.g., from a web cam) that is displayed in a slide-show fashion over an open connection.
The portal operator might maintain a set of preferences at the portal server for each user that has set up an account with the portal operator. Thus, if the portal provider allows the user to select or deselect categories of information, such as stock quotes, news and weather, a user that is not interested in the weather could set preferences to indicate that when that user requests a portal page from the portal server and the portal server has identified the user, the portal server should serve an HTML page that contains current stock quotes and news, but not weather. Since the page served by the portal server is customized to the user when the portal server has identified the user, the page served is often referred to as that user's portal page.
Certain pages have information that changes over time. Once an HTML page is downloaded to a HTTP client, new information stops passing between the HTTP server and the HTTP client. The user may, however, request an updated portal page by pressing the refresh button on the browser, or a script may automatically request the updated portal page after expiration of a timer. Further, the script could poll the HTTP server for new information and display that information if it changes.
There are ways to send information between computers on a real-time basis. Instant messaging and chat room programs allow people to communicate in real-time. These programs embellish the browser with ActiveX™ or Java™ controls, periodically poll the HTTP server or use software separate from the HTTP client to allow this communication.